Aaron Hayes is not just a math teacher with 30 years of experience—he is also the creative force behind Championship Frames, a business dedicated to preserving ticket stubs, autographs, and memorabilia from iconic sporting events, plays, and other significant moments. From Blackhawks punch cards to rare autographs, Hayes transforms nostalgic memories into timeless framed artwork.

His passion for crafting memorabilia began with a simple Secret Santa gift. Charles Vokes, a devoted Blackhawks fan, received a framed punch card from 1940, carefully assembled by Hayes.

“I have a lot of memorabilia in my house, and this was an amazing addition to my collection,” Vokes said. “I just learned yesterday that Mr. Hayes took his skills and turned it into a side gig separate from teaching. It was cool to find this out. I hope that I get him as my Secret Santa in the future because he knows that I am trying to visit all MLB stadiums, and I would love to see what he could produce with respect to that goal of mine.”

Unbeknownst to Vokes, at the time, Hayes had already been creating framed autographs for others, but the success of this Secret Santa gift sparked an idea.

“My wife, over the summer, out of all the job ideas I’ve ever had, side gig ideas I’ve had, you know, she’s like, ‘You know, you could probably turn this into a side hustle.’ Yeah, so that was the first one she got like a real, like, ‘Hey, this could be really practical,'” Hayes said.

While Hayes is passionate about memorabilia, his path to becoming a math teacher was anything but straightforward. Entering college, he was torn between business (investment management), music education (choir directing), and genetics. Initially, he leaned toward genetics, but struggled with human anatomy, and ultimately changed course. When he discussed his options with a chemistry professor, he was advised that genetics was more biochemistry than anything else. Taking this advice to heart, Hayes shifted his focus to chemistry. However, his true calling lay elsewhere.

“The fact that I teach math isn’t as important as the fact that I have day-to-day interaction with teenagers and people in general, which is why I’m not a genetic engineer,” Hayes said.

Hayes began his teaching career in the mid-’90s at Winfield Middle School before moving on to Wheaton Academy and Batavia High School. He eventually found his home at West Chicago Community High School in 2001. Throughout his career, he has sought ways to maximize his time with students, ensuring they get the help they need during school hours so he can focus on his family outside of work.

His ability to connect with students extends far beyond the classroom. Senior Gabi Marin describes Hayes as a teacher who “effortlessly brightens the atmosphere” with his humor and dedication.

“His sarcasm combines math with humor—something I never imagined possible—and knows how to bring a smile to your face. His patience shines as he explains concepts repeatedly until you fully understand them. He is a supportive and engaged teacher to his students,” Marin said.

Grace Kuehn, who worked as Hayes’s student assistant last semester, echoed that sentiment.

“Mr. Hayes really cares about each and every one of his students and it shows. He shows up for his kids every day despite anything going on in his life. Even when there are other factors in his life that could distract him, he never lets it interfere with his teaching and never strays from who he is and what he knows is right,” Kuehn said.

One innovative approach he developed is his use of YouTube videos to aid student learning. Recognizing that students struggle more with problem-solving than note-taking, Hayes began creating videos that allow students to review notes at home and then focus on solving problems in class.

“When he is absent, we typically watch his video for that day’s lesson,” Marin said. “The videos are incredibly easy to understand and give the impression that he is in the room teaching, as his personality is the same throughout them.”

For Hayes, the goal is to become more efficient, as his time at home is maxed out.

“So if I can help my students more, that means that we can do other things better and spend time on things for that. And some of it’s just, I guess, just being around and helping people… I enjoy hanging out and mentoring people, and that’s kind of one of the things that I lean heavily into,” Hayes said.

Emily Hanania, another senior, appreciates Hayes’s ability to connect with students.

“Mr. Hayes will make an effort to try and connect with every student he has in class, usually that is through sarcastic comments and jokes. His humor is so refreshing after a long day of difficult classes,” Hanania said.

Beyond his humor, Hanania notes that his dedication stands out.

“He always provides so many resources to help inside and outside class, for example his YouTube channel. He goes above and beyond to post videos that go over every lesson in detail. When teaching, he will break up the lesson and randomly interject with personal stories or jokes. While it may seem like a waste of time, it is actually building rapport and trust between him and his students,” Hanania said. “Because of the valuable relationships he builds with his students, almost no one is afraid to ask Mr. Hayes for math help, but more importantly, people will come to him for advice on anything they need. The support he provides outside of class makes students actually want to listen to him teach.”

That trust and humor often go hand in hand. According to Kuehn, one of the funniest moments from working with Hayes came when he repeatedly played a specific clip from “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.”

“He would play the scene when the principal yells at his secretary ‘Grace!’ He would always randomly blast it whether I was just stopping in his room for a moment, or I was helping him with something. No matter what the situation was, it always made us laugh. He even bookmarked the clip on his computer so he could pull it up quickly. It was always so unexpected, which only added to the comedy,” Kuehn said.

When he is not teaching, Hayes dedicates time to creating new pieces for Championship Frames, typically producing two to three framed memorabilia pieces each week and selling them through his eBay store. After his father passed away, Hayes used his inheritance to jumpstart the business, investing in frames, mats, and historic tickets. Today, he sells about one or two framed pieces per week, each carrying a unique story.

“I got a message from somebody who bought it for their dad because they and their dad would always go to an Oakland A’s game when they were a kid. So since it was done, they wanted to get the frame for their dad to kind of remember their times as kids. And so, I mean, just you get all these stories about—yeah, it’s kind of fun,” Hayes said.

His memorabilia work extends beyond just framing tickets. Hayes has even created rugby trading cards, something uncommon in the U.S. One of his most notable experiences involved Greg Peterson, captain of the U.S. national rugby team. Hayes crafted a set of rugby cards featuring Peterson and sent six of them to him and his children. The response was unexpected and heartfelt.

“The reason why I try to learn new things is because that gives me motivation to, oh, at least I can go do that,” Hayes said.

Not long after, Hayes received a package in the mail—a signed team jersey from Peterson as a thank-you for the custom rugby cards. These interactions fuel Hayes’s love for his side business, making each project a meaningful endeavor.

Whether in the classroom or at his workbench, Hayes is dedicated to his craft, constantly seeking ways to mentor, innovate, and preserve memories—one frame at a time.